National Poetry Month

You guys are doing great! The blog is really interesting to look through, especially when you interact with each other by commenting on your classmate's opinions, recommendations, etc.

According to the Academy of American Poets webpage (http://www.poets.org/), April is National Poetry Month. National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets as a month-long, national celebration of poetry. The concept was to increase the attention paid to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our poetic heritage, and to poetry books and magazines. The goal was to achieve an increase in the visibility, presence, and accessibility of poetry in our culture. National Poetry Month has grown over the years into the largest literary celebration in the world.

Also according to the Academy of American Poets webpage, the Academy chose a month during the school year so that schools and students could participate fully. February is Black History Month and March is Women's History Month, so April seemed a logical choice. Also, there are many wonderful poetic references to April: T. S. Eliot wrote, "April is the cruelest month." On a lighter note, Chaucer wrote: "Whan that April with his showres soote/The droughte of March hath perced to the roote,/And bathed every veine in swich licour,/Of which vertu engendred is the flowr." Finally, Edna St. Vincent Millay asked, "To what purpose, April, do you return again?"

The goals of National Poetry Month are to:

• Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets
• Introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry
• Bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways
• Make poetry a more important part of the school curriculum
• Increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media
• Encourage increased publication, distribution, and sales of poetry books
• Increase public and private philanthropic support for poets and poetry

A reader can develop a deeper understanding of a poem by asking questions about how the poem is written. Therefore, all of the questions for April's blog revolve around poetry. This requires that you look at both the structure and the content of the poem. Read poems several times, out loud if possible. For every response, be sure to include the title of the poem and author. Also include the title of the anthology in which you found the poem.

There are many wonderful poets for you to explore. Try this link for some written by teens: http://www.teenink.com/Poetry/AZindex.html. Also, try these links for published poets: http://poetry.eserver.org/ and http://www.poetryfoundation.org/ . To find out more about National Poetry Month, visit http://www.poets.org/.

Have fun!
Love,
Miss Schweikert and Mrs. Marusa